The best homemade dogs treats

You might not think that your pooch can love you even more, but these simple recipes for homemade dog treats could help prove otherwise.

In just a few simple steps you can create dog treats that are well worth every trick in your dog’s book.

You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to bake a batch of these treats. This may be important if you are caring for a mature dog that may have health issues.

Some other benefits of making homemade dog treats include:

• You’ll know exactly what’s inside every treat
• You’ll know that every dog treat was made with love
• Your dog may finally get to lick the bowl
• You’ll have a nice supply of treats on hand

There are lots of different recipes for homemade dog treats. We have selected and tested 3 recipes for dog treats.

All three recipes are quick and easy to bake at home with your dog by your side.

Our senior taste tester Cody, a 13-year old Belgian shepherd (Groenendael) liked the chicken flavoured dog treats the best but told us that all three recipes are worth a try.

RECIPE #1: EASY TWO-INGREDIENT DOG TREATS

This dog treat recipe is very simple to make – perfect for novice cooks. It combines just 2 simple ingredients. If you’re interested in making dog treats, this easy recipe is a great place to start.

The quantities below make about 20 medium-sized treats (about 25 kcal per treat). If you want to make a larger batch simply double the quantity of ingredients

Preparation time: about 10 minutes

Oven temperature: 175°C / 350°F

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup/(5 oz, 150 grams) wholemeal (wheat) flour *
• 1 (4 oz, 125 grams) jar of baby food ** – we used carrot – one of Cody’s favourite vegetables

* You could also use bran (wheat germ), spelt, and/or rolled oats

** Some ingredients – such as onions, chives, garlic, peppers, grapes, raisins, avocado, chocolate, corn on the cob, macadamia nuts or the artificial sweetener (xylitol) – need to be avoided in dogs. Luckily most baby foods do not contain these ingredients

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
• Line a baking tray (cookie sheet) with greaseproof paper (baking paper).
• Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to form a stiff dough. If necessary, add a little water or a little extra flour.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
• Cut the dough into the desired shape using a cookie cutter or a pizza cutter.
• Place the treats about 1/2 inch (13 mm) apart onto the lined baking tray.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
• Store in a paper bag, air-tight container (they will go soft but will still be edible) or freeze.

RECIPE #2: PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA DOG TREATS

This dog treat recipe uses 6 ingredients and is easy to prepare. We used a hand-held mixer to combine the ingredients in this recipe and a star-shaped cookie cutter to make these treats look really good.

The quantities below make about 24 medium-sized treats (about 40 kcal per treat).

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Oven temperature: 175°C / 350°F

Cooking time: 40-45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 peeled banana, mashed
• 2/3 cup (60 grams, 2 oz) rolled oats
• 1 cup (155 grams, 4 oz) oat flour
• 3 tablespoons dog peanut butter *
• 1⁄2 cup (0.3 oz, 8grams) dried parsley **
• 1 beaten egg

* Do not use sugar-free peanut butter – Xylitol (an artificial sweetener) is very toxic to dogs!

** For a different color use ½ cup (about 65 grams) of grated carrot instead of dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
• Line a baking tray (cookie sheet) with greaseproof paper (baking paper).
• In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork.
• Add the rolled oats, oat flour, peanut butter, parsley and beaten egg and mix until evenly combined.
• Form the dough into a ball and allow to rest for 5 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/4 inch (6 mm) thick.
• Cut the dough into the desired shape using a cookie cutter or roll into walnut-sized balls.
• Place the treats about 1/2 inch (13 mm) apart onto the lined baking tray.
• If you have made balls of dough, press these down gently using the heel of your hand to form flat circles about 0.6 to 0.8 inches (1.5 to 2 cm) in diameter.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

RECIPE #3: DIABETIC DOG TREATS

Diet is a really important part of managing diabetes in dogs. Feeding the same type and quantity of food at the same time each day will help to reduce fluctuations in your dog’s blood glucose levels.

It is important to check with your vet before supplementing your diabetic dog’s diet in any way to avoid fluctations in blood glucose.

Finding a treat that is suitable for your diabetic dog can be a challenge. Not all ingredients are suitable for diabetic dogs.

* Carrot slices are a good option but you might also want to try this recipe. It is easy to prepare, and the treats are so yummy that dogs with or without diabetes will love them.

This recipe was Cody’s favourite. We used a handheld mixer to combine the ingredients. The quantities below make about 50 small treats (about 18 kcal per treat).

* In diabetic dogs, ingredients you need to avoid include syrup, molasses, fructose, dextrose and maltose. Most baby foods do not contain these ingredients anyway, but it’s good to note that you should avoid using any that contain onions, chives, garlic, peppers, grapes, raisins, avocado, chocolate, corn on the cob, macadamia nuts or artificial sweetener (xylitol).

Preparation time: about 10-15 minutes

Oven temperature: 175°C / 350°F

Cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup (155 grams, 5 oz) wholemeal flour
• 4 eggs
• 8 oz (250 grams) baby food – we used chicken, potato and broccoli – Cody’s favourite vegetable

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
• Line a baking tray (cookie sheet) with greaseproof paper (baking paper).
• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.
• Pour the mixture onto the lined baking tray and shake/spread to form an even layer.
• Bake for about 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before turning onto a chopping board and cutting into strips with a knife or pizza cutter.

If you want to substitute ingredients to the above recipes, we suggest you check out our guide to Foods your dogs should avoid first to make sure the ingredient is dog-friendly.

If you enjoyed this, take a look at our other MyPet.com articles for more information, tips and tools to help keep your dog happy and healthy.